Online boat builder Dan Lee is stepping out from behind the camera to teach a two-week face-to-face skiff building course at the Boat Building Academy (BBA).
Dan has developed a global following since taking his passion for pairing modern technology and traditional boat building online.
Videos filmed at his workshop in Gloucestershire feature practices such as CAD design and CNC cutting and routinely attract 30,000 viewers.
His new course at the BBA in Dorset next August will take builders through the process of constructing a simple clinker skiff from a plywood kit, from set-up right through to final finishing and launch.
“Using the latest in CAD design and CNC cutting, we’ll start out the course with a look around a 3D model of what we will be building, before moving on to a pre-cut kit of plywood parts,” he explained.
“We’ll learn about the use of CNC cut plywood and jigs within boat building to produce super accurate forms and solid wood laminations. Epoxy work will also play a key role in the building of the skiff, and bonding, coating, filleting and lamination, will all be covered.”
“The aim of this course is to embrace the use of this technology in order to get the hull set up and assembled in record time,” continued Dan.
“Once we have the hull of our little skiffs built, we will spend our remaining time mastering the art of great varnish and paint finishes on wood. By learning to use modern, two-part paint and varnish systems our boat builders will learn to produce professional quality finishes within a very short timeframe.”
“Then we’ll finish up by installing hardware correctly, before launching our boats at Lyme Regis Cobb.”
Home boatbuilding and making online videos started as a hobby for Dan.
He said: “I started sharing my builds on social media about 10 years ago. During and after Covid, my ‘hobby’ was taking up most of my time and I decided to go all in and set up my own boat building business.”
“The videos have grown and grown in popularity, and I also sell my boat plans, because rather than building one-offs in private, I want people to build the boats and enjoy them. It’s been immensely rewarding to help people discover the same love I have for a modern-meets-traditional process.”
“Of course, I have become accustomed to instructing in the ‘virtual’ world, so being live and face-to-face with people again at the BBA makes me feel equally excited and daunted. But I think this new course adds a new dimension to the short course programme at the academy.”
“I’m very much looking forward to being amongst all their amazing tutors and helping people build some fantastic boats.”
Students will take their own skiff kit away with them at the end of the two weeks, to build at their own leisure, applying everything they have learned.
For more information on the course please visit: Build a Skiff – Boat Building Academy and Furniture School